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Assembly adopts HR 19 recognizing California Agriculture Day on March 19
Summary
The California State Assembly adopted House Resolution 19 to recognize March 19 as California Agriculture Day, with dozens of coauthors and multiple members praising the state's farming industry and citing production and employment figures.
Assembly members voted to adopt House Resolution 19 on the Assembly floor, recognizing March 19 as California Agriculture Day and honoring the state's agricultural workforce and production.
The resolution’s sponsor, Assemblymember Robert R. Soria, said HR 19 “honors California's agriculture day,” and highlighted the state’s role as “the nation's leader in agricultural exports,” citing a figure of $23,600,000,000 in food and agriculture exports reported in February 2022. He urged support for the day and opened the roll for coauthors.
Why it matters: California produces a large share of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts and employs tens of thousands of workers in agriculture; the resolution frames agriculture as both an economic engine and a cultural way of life for many districts.
On the floor, members from agricultural districts described local production and the role of farm workers. Assemblymember Hadwick said agriculture “is a life that is hard work” and invited members to Ag Day events on the Capitol lawn. Assemblymember Tongipa noted the Central Valley’s acreage and said the county in his district contains “1,880,000 acres of the world's most productive farmland” and cited local employment and economic multipliers.
Procedure and vote: The clerk opened a roll for additions of coauthors; the clerk later reported 65 coauthors had been added. The resolution was then adopted by voice vote.
Details and context offered during debate included: an export figure for state agricultural shipments ($23,600,000,000, February 2022), county-level employment figures cited for Fresno, Madera, and Merced (numbers given on the floor), and invitations to Ag Day events on March 19 on the Capitol grounds. Members repeatedly framed the resolution as an occasion to honor farmers, ranchers and farm workers and to recognize agriculture’s economic contributions.
The Assembly moved on after adoption; the resolution is recorded as adopted and will be printed in the journal.
